- St James' and St Paul's Church, Marton
-
St James' and St Paul's Church, Marton 
St James' and St Paul's Church, Marton, from the southLocation in Cheshire
St James' and St Paul's Church, MartonCoordinates: 53°12′32″N 2°13′33″W / 53.2088°N 2.2257°W OS grid reference SJ 849 680 Location Marton, Cheshire Country England Denomination Anglican Website Marton, St James and St Paul Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade I Designated 14 April 1967 Architect(s) J. M. Derick, William Butterfield Architectural type Church Specifications Materials Timber framing, rendered brick infill, slate roof Administration Parish Marton Deanery Macclesfield Archdeaconry Macclesfield Diocese Chester Province York The Church of St James and St Paul, Marton is situated to the south of the village of Marton, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Macclesfield. Its benefice is combined with those of Holy Trinity, Capesthorne, and All Saints, Siddington.[2]
The church differs from the majority of churches in Cheshire in that its body is timber framed. It is one of the oldest timber framed churches in Europe.[3] Only a handful of churches of this type remain in England;[4] other surviving examples include churches at Lower Peover and Baddiley (Cheshire), Melverley (Shropshire), Besford (Worcestershire) and Hartley Wespall (Hampshire).[5]
Contents
History
The church was founded and endowed in 1343 by Sir John de Davenport and his son Vivian.[3] Further land was donated by the family in 1370.[6] The belfry was added subsequently; it dates from around 1540.[6] The roof was lowered in 1804.[7]
Restorations were carried out by J. M. Derick in 1850 and William Butterfield in 1871.[1] Derick replaced two-light windows with windows of three lights. Butterfield tidied some of the timbers in the tower.[8] At that time, the existing entrance at the west end was also added.[6] Further restoration was carried out in 1930–31, including renewal of some wall panels, rafters and belfry shingles.[6] A brick extension to the chancel was constructed in the 20th century.[1]
Architecture
Exterior
The timber frame features close studding with a middle rail.[1] It rests on a stone plinth, the infill is rendered brick and the roof is of slate. At the west end is a shingled square tower with a shingled broach spire ending in a weather cock. This is surrounded by lean-to roofed aisles on the north, west and south sides. The tower has a western arched door with a 20th-century door which incorporates 17th-century iron strap hinges.[1] The body of the church consists of a three-bay nave with north and south aisles, a two-bay chancel and north and south chapels at the ends of the aisles, and a south porch.[8]
Interior
The timber piers are octagonal in shape. Two damaged stone effigies of 14th-century knights are in the belfry;[8] the heads rest on the Davenport crest, suggesting the figures might depict the church's founders, John and Vivian de Davenport.[6] The pulpit carries a coat of arms and dates from 1620. There are three surviving bells, the oldest being inscribed 'God Save the Queen and Realme 1598'.[6] Other features include an Elizabethan parish chest[3] and an ancient handmade wooden ladder accessing the bell-ringing platform.[1][9] The organ was built in 1894 by A. Worral.[10] The ring consists of three bells which are dated 1598, 1663 and 1758. The parish registers begin in 1563.[7]
Inside the church are traces of some early medieval paintings on the west wall, which were discovered under plaster in 1930.[11] The triangular painting, which possibly represents the Last Judgement (a common subject of medieval church paintings), is divided into sections by the timbering. A haloed male figure with long yellow hair at the top right possibly represents Christ, and a haloed kneeling female figure opposite might represent the Virgin Mary. The bottom left panel contains figures with raised hands mainly looking towards the viewer; these possibly represent souls under judgement. Other figures carry items, perhaps instruments of the Passion.[11] Also in the church is an 18th-century oil painting by Edward Penney of Moses and Aaron holding the Ten Commandments.[6]
External features
Square Tower
In the churchyard is a cross dating from the 14th or 15th century which has been subsequently restored. It is listed Grade II.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Church of St James and St Paul, Marton", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1139465, retrieved 29 April 2011
- ^ Marton, St James and St Paul, Church of England, http://www.achurchnearyou.com/marton-st-james-st-paul/, retrieved 13 October 2009
- ^ a b c Bilsborough, Norman (1983), The Treasures of Cheshire, Manchester: The North West Civic Trust, p. 151, ISBN 0901347353
- ^ Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1974), English Parish Churches as Works of Art, London: Batsford, p. 52, ISBN 0713427760
- ^ Harris, Richard (1993), Discovering Timber-framed Buildings (3rd ed.), Princes Risborough: Shire Publications, p. 89, ISBN 0-7478-0215-7
- ^ a b c d e f g Thornber, Craig (June 2005), A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities: Marton, http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/marton.html, retrieved 3 August 2007
- ^ a b Richards, Raymond (1947), Old Cheshire Churches, London: Batsford, pp. 229–231
- ^ a b c Salter, Mark (1995), The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire, Malvern: Folly Publications, p. 51, ISBN 1-871731-23-2
- ^ Crossroads around Congleton, Cheshire County Council, http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Cycling/circular_routes/crossroads_congleton/, retrieved 2 August 2007
- ^ Marton St. James, British Institute of Organ Studies, http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=J00048, retrieved 11 August 2008
- ^ a b Marshall, Anne (2001), Marton, Cheshire (Chester) Doom (?), C.14?, Anne Marshall, http://www.paintedchurch.org/marton.htm, retrieved 2 August 2007
- ^ "Cross in churchyard of St James and St Paul, Marton", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1329716, retrieved 29 April 2011
External links
Categories:- Church of England churches in Cheshire
- 14th-century architecture
- Grade I listed churches
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire
- Diocese of Chester
- Timber-framed churches
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
